


Artemis

by Sillva



Category: RWBY
Genre: Drama, Family, Gen, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-10-14 09:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10533183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sillva/pseuds/Sillva
Summary: A huntress in training, a famed prodigy, and a single child. She had a stern but fair father, a loving mother, and a warm home. For as far back as Pyrrha Nikos could remember, these were the traits that defined who she was. Whoever, one day she makes a discovery that shatters whole world. Join her on her journey of self discovery. Set post Vol 3 the fall of Beacon never happens.





	1. Artemis Part I: Homecoming

“Good evening all you sports fans out there! Lisa Lavender here, once again reporting live from Vale City Stadium the site of this year’s Annual Winter Wonderland Charity Tournament. If you’re just joining us I’m sorry to say, but that means you’ve missed out on an incredible final bout between our former champion Robin Rangers and a first time competitor Pyrrha Nikos!” Lisa reported excitedly while remaining focused on the camera in front of her.

“Now a new champion has been crowned, I would say that this is a good time as any to meet her. Wouldn’t you all agree?” Lisa asked before the cameras paned out slightly to reveal that a young red haired woman in bronze armor was standing beside her. The woman looked stiff for a moment, but then smiled and waved to the cameras when she realized she was in the shot. Liza then turned to face the new woman. “And here she is, the woman of the hour. I’m sure for those of you who’ve seen the tournament coverage thus far already know this girl quite well. Though, what do you say we give her a chance to introduce herself?” She said with smile.

“Thank you Miss Lavender.” The red haired woman replied now matching the reporter’s enthusiasm, and then she turned her attention back towards the cameras and began to her introduction. “Hello everyone, I’m Pyrrha Nikos, I’m a first year student of Beacon Academy, and I hail from the Kingdom of Minstrel. Thank you all for having me here today.” She said the last part with a quick bow.

“You are very welcome Miss Nikos, we are always happy to have you. Also allow me the honor of being the first to personally congratulate you on your stunning victory this evening. Speaking of which, what did you think of your opponent in the final round?” Lisa asked. “Miss Rangers was considered to be quite the contender, but she didn’t seem to give you much trouble out there.”

“Oh, no Miss Rangers was a very challenging opponent.” Pyrrha said quickly. “Her unorthodox fighting style was difficult to get a handle on at first and the way she flowed back and the way she seamlessly flowed between close and long range combat was quite impressive.” She explained.

Then Pyrrha’s smile became even wider. “However, even with all her strength, I found her sportsmanship to be her best quality. I honestly can’t recall the last time I had so much fun in a fight. Perhaps the nature of this event played a big part in that, but I can easily see why she was favored to win today and I hope that I will get the chance to compete with her again in the future.”

“Such high praise, I’m sure Miss Rangers feels the same.” Lisa said with a laugh. “Speaking of the future, I’ve heard that you have many fans and I’m sure a few rivals who’ve been advocating for you to join the professional league. It is also no secret that you have been approached by a few professional league sponsors. After today’s match I can see why so many think you have what it takes. So I’m sure were all now wondering, will you be taking any of those offers into consideration?”

Pyrrha looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. “There have been offers, but at this current time I am too preoccupied with other affairs. I am still a student and that means school and missions that could require me to go outside the kingdom at a moments notice. So at least for the time being, I would like to focus on my studies and have made no plans to join the Pro-league.” She admitted.

“I see, that does explain the drop in your tournament attendance.” Lisa said in a slightly disappointed tone.

“Pardon?” Pyrrha said slightly caught off guard by the comment.

“Well correct me if I’m wrong Miss Nikos, but isn’t this your first official tournament appearance since the Vital Festival Tournament a few months ago?” Lisa inquired.

Pyrrha wasn’t actually sure. Things had been so hectic for her lately that she didn’t even think about competing. “That’s correct, I suppose I haven’t.” Pyrrha replied.

Lisa hummed in consideration before speaking again. “As I thought, and if I’m not mistaken, the Vital Festival Tournament was your first competitive appearance since leaving your home kingdom of Mistral, is that right?”

“Yes I believe that is also correct” Pyrrha replied in an uncertain tone.

“I see, in that case I think I speak for all of us here when I ask this. Why this tournament? I’m sure you have gotten invitations to more lucrative events.” It was clear to Pyrrha by the way Lisa asked this question that she was genuinely curious.

Pyrrha couldn’t say she blamed Lisa. After all it has been a question she has heard a lot lately. Even if she didn’t want to be, she was considered a high profile competitor. While it wasn’t unheard of for somebody like her to compete in the Winter Wonderland Charity Tournament, it wasn’t a very big name event nor was it well paying. Rather it wasn’t paying out at all, as the name suggests it was a charity event in which all proceeds were going to children in need.

To most people, there were only two reasons to compete in a charity tournament. Number one, to earn karma points with public, or number two, because they genuinely did care about the cause and wanted to help. For Pyrrha it was most definitely the latter of the two, but that doesn’t explain her absence from other events.

“I feel strongly about the cause.” Pyrrha declared. “I have been blessed with so much in my life. I have good health, a loving family, wonderful friends that I wouldn’t trade for the world, and with my talent I have so many opportunities, but I can’t help but ask what I’ve done to deserve them. Not everyone is as fortunate as I have been and if I can give them even a fraction of this happiness then I believe it is my duty to do so.”

“Wow such heart warming words. I suppose we should expect no less from our champion!” Lisa declared before turning her attention back towards the cameras. “Well that’s all the time we have folks, back to you studio Cyril.”

Then after a moment of silence the blinking red light on the cameras that signified that they were on air all went black. When they did, Lisa and Pyrrha visibly relaxed and Pyrrha let out a quite sigh of relief while Lisa congratulated the rest of the crew on a job well done.

Then the reporter reached into her back pocket and retrieve a small hand mirror and flipped it open so she could start checking her make up. A minute into this process she spoke again, this time directed at Pyrrha. “You know, people say that we kind of sound alike.”

“Is that so? I didn’t really notice.” Pyrrha replied. Honestly she really didn’t notice before, but now that it had been pointed out she could kind of hear it.

“Yeah me neither.” Lisa said dismissively and ending the conversation and another moment of awkward silence followed.

“Umm, well I suppose I should probably get go..” Pyrrha started to say before Lisa spoke up again.

“You did pretty good out there tonight kid.” Lisa said as she pulled out a tub of lipstick and began applying some to her lips. “In the interview I mean.” She clarified when Pyrrha gave her a confused look. “Most of the huntsmen I’ve interviewed in the past, professionals included, all looked like lost children once they got in front of the cameras. It seems like you know how to handle yourself better than most.”

“Thank you.” Pyrrha replied automatically, she was unsure of what to make of the complement, but didn’t want to offend by arguing. “I have done some promotional work in the past so I suppose that’s why I’m use to it.”

That comment seemed to remind Lisa of something. “Hey that’s right! You’re the Pumpkin Pete spokes girl right?” She suddenly gushed with excitement which slightly startled Pyrrha. Realizing that Lisa quickly reeled herself back in. “Oh, sorry about that, it’s just that my little sister really loves that cereal. Or rather she’s just a really big fan of yours. After all, she only ever asks for the stuff when your face is on the cover.”

That caused Pyrrha to giggle a bit. “You have a little sister? How old is she?” She asked before realizing how personal the question was. “That is if you don’t mind me asking.” She added shyly.

Satisfied with her touchups, Lisa snapped her hand mirror shut and shrugged. “I don’t mind, here I can show you.” She said as she reached into her pocket to produce a wallet and into the wallet for an old looking photo. Then she handed the photo to Pyrrha to see.

When Pyrrha looked at the photo she saw a small girl with platinum blond pigtails playing on a swing set. “She’s so young.” Pyrrha mused.

“Her name is Sara and she will be twelve this year.” Lisa declared.

“Twelve? That is quite the gap.” Pyrrha said.

“Yep, Sara is less than half my age. I got to tell you, it was quite the shocker when I got the news of her impending arrival from my folks.” Lisa explained.

“You were shocked? Did you not want a little sister?” Pyrrha asked.

“Whoa there don’t get me wrong kid, I was quite happy about getting a little sister. I just didn’t think my parents still had it in them.” She said jokingly causing Pyrrha’s cheeks to redden slightly at the impaction.

“It must be nice. I’m an only child so I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling.” Pyrrha said in a slightly more subdued tone.

Lisa shrugged. “It has its moments, both good and bad. Siblings don’t always get along. Well at least none that I’ve ever known could honestly claim such a thing. Of course my sister and I are no exceptions. It’s hard being an older sibling some times. After all, I’m in a position were I am expected to scold and discipline her when she misbehave. Taking my sisters favorite toy away, or forcing her to do the homework when she doesn’t want to do it can put a strain on our relationship at times. Also our difference in age doesn’t help, it can make it quite difficult for us to relate to one another, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Pyrrha said. She didn’t really understand, but figured it was something only a person with a sibling could really get so she didn’t question it.

Then Pyrrha heard a coughing sound coming from close behind her so she turned to see what had caused it. When she did, she saw her manager standing just off set. Her manager was a fair skinned woman with long dark hair and brown eyes. Her features were not unlike her teammate Ren’s, at least if he had been born a woman. Her name was Lin Fong.

“Hey Kid its about that time, you don’t want to miss your flight now do you.” Lin asked as she pointed to the watch she was wearing.

“Oh that’s right, thank you Lin!” Pyrrha stated as she turned away from Lisa and began walking towards her manager.

“I’m just doing my job. I wouldn’t be a very good manager if I let my client be late getting home for the holidays.” Lin said with shrug and a smile.

Pyrrha giggled as the two began making their way towards the exit only for Lisa to call out to them. “Hey Nikos before you go I got one more thing to say!” Pyrrha craned her head back to look at Lisa and when she did the reporter went on. “Here is some professional advice so you better listen up. You should try to loosen up a little. You’re still a teenager after all, so nobody expects you to be perfect. Heck when I was your age, I was out raising all kinds of hell.”

“I’m sorry, are you telling me to act rebellious?” Pyrrha inquired.

Lisa shook her head. “No, I don’t think you’ll need to do anything so extreme. I just thought you should try acting your age for a change. It will make you more relatable and it might even be a bit fun.” She finished that statement with a shrug before going on. “Besides, you can’t learn from your mistakes if you don’t make any and speaking from experience I can tell you that it’s best to get as many of those out of the way while you’re still young enough to get away with them.”

Pyrrha wasn’t sure what to make of Lisa’s advice. She certainly didn’t expect such an odd suggestion and she wasn’t sure she agreed with the idea that acting out was okay just because she could get away with it. Though, she was still happy to receive the advice all the same. “Thank you for your guidance Lisa.” She said while taking a curt bow.

Lisa rolled her eyes. That was the kind of behavior she was talking about. “No problem kid, have a happy holiday.”

“Happy holidays to you to Lisa!” Pyrrha cheered before finally turning and leaving with her manager.

///////////////////////////////////////

**Kingdom of Mistral: Thessaly City**

Pyrrha had just faced one of her greatest foes she’s ever had to face. An archenemy if she had ever known one. The dreaded twenty-five hour long trip home from her school in the City of Vale all the way back to her hometown of Thessaly in central Mistral.

Pyrrha has always hated traveling long distances. Not that she disliked seeing new places of course. It was really just the slow crawl from point A to point B that got to her. She may not have disliked them as much as her partner Jaune, but that was due to his habit of becoming motion sick during even the shortest of flights.

With that said, after Pyrrha had just spent the last three hours traveling by train and the twenty-two hours before that on a civilian plane crossing the ocean, upset stomach or not, she was sick of traveling. Though at least it hadn’t been as boring as some of the other trips she’d made to other kingdoms in the past. This time around, she at least had her manager Lin there to keep her company.

Lin usually made for great company and this was mostly due to the long history Pyrrha and Lin had with one another. After all, Lin had been Pyrrha’s first and only manager for nearly five years now and so they knew just about everything there was to know about each other. Well everything except for a few of the more recent developments in their lives.

The reason for the recent lack of communication between Pyrrha and Lin was mostly due to the fact that Pyrrha was currently taking a break from her fighting career so she could focus on her studies at Beacon. Also since Lin’s services weren’t going to be necessary there, she had opted to stay behind in Mistral and take on a few other local clients. That meant they hadn’t been able to see each other in person since classes began three months ago. That meant they had a lot of catching up to do.

Much to Pyrrha’s dismay however, there was one topic in particular that Lin insisted on coming back to over and over again. Even after twenty-five straight hours of being politely denied or misdirected, she stubbornly refused to let it go. So now that Pyrrha found herself sat in the passenger’s seat of Lin’s car in route to her own home, she had completely ran out alternate topics to distract her. So when Lin finally asked. “Okay, spill already! Are you and this Jaune a thing or what?!” All Pyrrha could do was sigh. “Oh come on Pyrrha, it’s a simple question.”

Pyrrha grumbled. “Yes, no, it’s complicated okay!”

Lin rolled her eyes. “Pyrrha, I’ve seen complicated before. Trust me when I say this, whatever you have going on is probably just the usual teen drama. Now why don’t you tell me why you’re so unsure about your relationship status?” She asked.

“Well I kind of showed him I like him, sort of, but I never actually said it. Though, he does seem to feel the same, but of course he never really gave me an answer either. So we’re kind of together, together, but it isn’t official.” Pyrrha explained.

“Hmm and what did you do to show him?” Lin inquired.

“I-I umm, kind of k-kissed him.” Pyrrha stammered as her cheeks started to mimic her hair.

“Oh, when did this happen!?” Lin asked in a teasing tone.

Pyrrha couldn’t meet her manager’s eyes when she answered. “The Vytal Festival Tournament, I promised myself that I would tell him if I won, so when I did I got so excited that I just kind of attacked him. Unfortunately in the heat of the moment, I sort of forgot about the part where I actually tell him. Then by the time I thought to do so, our friends and teammates were snapping pictures. It was just too awkward for the both of us after that.”

“It’s just like I thought. It’s the typical teen drama stuff.” Lin said with a laugh and when she came to a stop at a red light she leaned in closer to Pyrrha to speak again. “You know there is a very easy way to resolve all this confusion and uncertainty.” She offered.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow but seemed interested. “How’s that?”

“You could just talk to him about it for Monty’s sake!” Lin declared like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But, what if he doesn’t actually feel that way about me? What if what I did made him uncomfortable and the reason he hasn’t said anything about it is because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings!?” Pyrrha asked suddenly sounding desperate.

Lin shook her head. “Then there’s nothing you can do about it. If you tell him how you really feel and he turns you down, then one, he’s a dumbass, and two at least it will be over and you both will be able to move on. It’s like I always say, you can’t get it wrong when you’re telling the truth. It may not always be what the other person wants to hear, but it doesn’t change the facts. And the fact is that you’re head over heels for this lucky punk so just tell him already.”

Pyrrha laughed this time and smiled. “You do always say stuff like that.” Pyrrha wasn’t completely sold on her manager’s logic, but she did feel a bit better about all this. Dare she say even hopeful? Though, there was only one way to know for sure and that was to talk to Jaune. The only problem was the fact that Jaune about half a world away now and this wasn’t the kind of talk you had over a scroll.

“That’s because it’s true, you don’t need to be the perfect girl to get the boy at the end of the story. My sister in law Mai is proof enough for that.” Lin retorted jokingly. “Seriously though, all you need to do is be yourself girl. Though, when being yourself means your Pyrrha Nikos, well that hast to help at least a little bit right?” Lin asked will adding a knowing wink.

Pyrrha just shook her head and laughed. “Come on Mai isn’t that bad is she?” She asked.

“No, I suppose Leonard could’ve done far worse. And quite frankly I guess I should be thanking my lucky stars that he found somebody willing to put up with his horrendous snoring habits.” Lin declared.

Pyrrha giggled again. “How is Leonard by the way? I haven’t even heard from him since I left.”

Pyrrha genuinely was curious about Leonard. Though she didn’t have the closest of relationship with the guy, he was Lin’s elder step brother and he’d even worked part time for her as bodyguard, so they were at least not strangers. Of course it wasn’t like Pyrrha really needed a bodyguard, but it was nice to have one around to ward off some of the more over enthusiastic fans. As Lin had warned her once, it just wouldn’t due for Pyrrha who happened to be a highly trained combatant with aura, to attack unarmed and possibly aura-less civilians in public. Even if it was in self defense the tabloids would jump all over it and turn it into a career ending nightmare.

“Oh he’s the same as ever I suppose. Lately he’s been moonlighting as a bouncer at a local dance club. Looking big and scary is all that guys is really good for after all.” Lin replied before an odd look came over her face. It was a look that said she had an idea. After taking a quick look down at the clock on the dash she turned back towards Pyrrha. “Hey as a matter of fact, Leonard’s club isn’t that far from here and his shift should’ve already started. If you want, we should still have enough time to swing by and say hi before taking you home.” She suggested.

“I don’t know, is it really alright to bother him at work?” Pyrrha asked uncertainly.

“He’s working the front door Pyrrha, we won’t even need to go inside. Besides I know he will be happy to see you.” Lin replied.

“Well I guess I would like to see him.” Pyrrha relented.

“That’s the spirit! Now let’s go give that baldy a surprise.” Lin declared before she switched gears and took a sharp right turn at a four way intersection. Then she accelerated down the next two blocks into the downtown area before finally hitting the breaks and coming to a sudden and jarring stop in front of large building with a flashing sign and a crowd of people lining up around it.

Pyrrha figured this must be the place. Not that she was an expert or anything. She actually hadn’t been to very many clubs in her life, but the ones she had been dragged to by her friends, or rather Yang, had all been just like this one. Flashy, crowded, and very noisy, she could feel the music about as well as she could hear it right now. Not a feeling she particularly cared for, so this wasn’t her scene. It did seem very Leonard however, so she could understand why he would want to work here.

Pyrrha’s thoughts were interrupted when Lin rolled down the driver side window and proceeding to shout and wave into the crowd. “Hey Leonard, over here!”

Assuming that Lin had spotted her brother, so Pyrrha leaned forward in her seat to get a better look herself. It didn’t take long for her to pick Leonard out of the crowd. After all, the guy stud a head above just about everyone else around and his scalp had been shaved clean and reflected some of the light from the sign. Other than his shaved head and height, is main distinguishing features included a short goatee and a small piercing in his left ear. If it weren’t for fact that Lin and Leonard looked nothing alike, based solely on the way the two acted with each other, everyone would think they were full fledged brother and sister and not just stepsiblings.

Hearing the familiar sound of his sister’s voice, Leonard look over to see where she was and spotted her waving at him from car. “Hey sis, what’re you doing here!?” He asked as he passed the clipboard he had been holding to another bouncer and he began to push through the crowd.

Lin shot her brother a smile before replying with. “I have somebody here that I think you will want to see!” Then she motioned toward the red head behind her and it caused Leonard to stop in his tracks and go wide eyed.

“Oh man is that who I think it is!?” Leonard asked.

“Hey Leonard.” Pyrrha announced with a wave.

“The golden girl returns!” Leonard declared excitedly. “How have you been!? Are you enjoying your new and exciting life at Beacon?”

“I’m good and Beacon has been great. I’ve made a lot of new friends.” Pyrrha replied.

“Pyrrha made friends? A You mean friend, friends right? Not the ‘I’m cool and your cool so it only makes since you hangout with me’ kind?!” Leonard asked in mock disbelief.

That statement kind of reminded Pyrrha of her first interaction with Weiss, but after she actually had gotten to know the girl she wasn’t too bad so she pushed those thoughts aside. “Yes, I mean friend, friends. They’re really nice people. I hope I get the chance to introduce you some time.” She stated.

“One of them might be a bit more than a friend.” Lin chimed in causing Pyrrha to sputter a little.

This statement seemed to catch Leonard’s interest. “Oh, our shy little Pyrrha has her eyes on somebody!? Who is this guy, or girl?” He asked cautiously. He had known Pyrrha for about as long as his sister did, but he couldn’t remember her ever talking about boys so he wasn’t sure what her preference was, and he wasn’t going to ask. That would just be weird for everyone.

Leonard got nothing out of Pyrrha she just looked embarrassed and wouldn’t meet his eyes so he looked towards his sister. “His names Jaune Arc, he’s her teammate and partner at Beacon. It seems that they're not official yet, but they’ve already kissed.” Lin explained.

Leonard raised an eyebrow. “Is that right? They kissed and their not official? Do you think I might need to straighten this guy out?” He asked while cracking his knuckles.”

Pyrrha gasped. “No, that won’t be necessary!”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry Leonard he sounds like a good kid. Besides, I don’t think you could handle him anyway. By the way I heard it, Pyrrha here has been giving him ‘private’ training sessions.” Lin chimed in.

Understanding the implications of Lin’s words Pyrrha sputtered again as her cheeks grown redder than ever. “Okay Lin, I think we should be going!” She pleaded.

Lin and Leonard shared a knowing look before they both broke into laughter. “Alright, alright, we’ve had our fun, now let’s get you home.” Lin conceded before turning back towards her brother one last time. “Catch you later bro, have a good night.”

“Thank and I’ll try.” Leonard replied before directing his gaze towards Pyrrha who was trying to blend into the leather seats of his sister’s car. “Welcome home Pyrrha, let me know if you happen to need any muscle while your in town, I’ll be there!”

“Thanks Leonard.” Pyrrha managed before Lin waved goodbye and they pulled away.

After their little boy talk had finally come to an end, Pyrrha was happy to sit back and spend the rest of their little trip in quiet contemplation. Thankfully for her, Lin seemed content to leave her too it. At least until she pulled her car up into the drive of Pyrrha’s family home. Pyrrha’s home wasn’t anything too special, at least on the outside. It was a modern two story home with about fifteen-hundred square feet in total. It had an attic, two car garage, and a basement that doubled as a storm shelter.

Pyrrha and her parents had lived in this house for about as long as she could remember and according to her parents, they’d considered upgrading a few times in the past. However, they would ultimately decide against it each time. There were just too many memories here. Of course that did give them the advantage of having a bit of extra cash to burn. That meant that the lawn was always well maintained and the interior was always spotless and decorated with the finest furnishings.

“Here we are kid.” Lin announced.

“Thanks for the ride Lin.” Pyrrha said while she unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her luggage, and made to get out of the car. Then when she was about to close the car door she leaned in to address Lin again. “You sure you don’t want to come in for coffee or something? I’m sure mom wouldn’t mind.”

“Hmm coffee, that would be nice.” Lin mused dreamily. “Unfortunately, another one of my clients as a fight tonight and it starts in like twenty minutes so I should get going.” She explained.

“Another client? Is it anyone I know?” Pyrrha inquired.

Lin shrugged. “Probably not, she’s in the non-aura league. Not a lot of crossover there. She is a good kid though, maybe I can introduce you guys the next time you come to the gym?”

Pyrrha knew about the non-aura league. Like the name suggests it’s a fighting league consisting of only none aura uses. She hadn’t seen many matches, but she didn’t need to, to know that it was a very different scene from the fights she was use to. With no aura to protect themselves from attacks, no weapons were permitted, and so they were far more focused on hand to hand combat.

Pyrrha herself was in the minor aura league. Since after all, as an aura user, she was bared from taking part in a non-aura competition. After all, aura wasn’t something you could just switch off so it just wouldn’t be fair for her opponent’s. There was also the Professional Aura League about her league. The venues were larger, the prizes were bigger, and the competitors were stronger. That was the league for real full fledged huntsmen and huntresses. As Lisa had told her the other day, there were many people who believed she was ready to take part, but it wasn’t that simple, at least not to Pyrrha.

Joining the Professional Aura League would mean giving up her career in the Minor League. You couldn’t compete in both and once she moved up, she wouldn’t be allowed to go back. And while she wasn’t making as much money or getting as much attention in the Minor League, that was just fine for her. She didn’t need any of that. She just enjoyed the challenge, and the camaraderie that came with sportsmanship. She feared some of that would be lost in the Professional League. Bigger payouts meant there was more at stake, which lead to more serious competitors.

Pyrrha had heard the horror stories about new talents winning big tournaments, only for their careers to come to a sudden crashing end afterward. Usually due to some unexplained accident. She really didn’t want to be a part of that world. She had seen enough evil to last a lifetime and she wasn’t even a full fledged huntress yet.

“Hello Remnant to Pyrrha, Remnant to Pyrrha, you still there?” Lin asked.

Realizing Pyrrha had been so lost in thought that she had forget to answer her manager’s question she quickly sputtered a reply. “So-sorry, I was distracted. I would love to come by some time. I will be here a week so I should be able to find the time.”

Lin chuckled and gave Pyrrha a big smile. “Good, I’m sure the others would like to see you as well. Now, I guess I should get out here. Be sure to tell that mom of yours hello for me.”

“Of course, now take care Lin, and drive safely.” Pyrrha replied.

Then Lin just gave Pyrrha a nod before pulling out of the drive before speeding down the street. Pyrrha stood there shaking her head until her car was out of sight before making for the front door. Then after testing the door and releasing it was locked, Pyrrha set her luggage down so she could fish out a set of keys from her pocket. Then once she had sorted through them for her house key, she was preparing to unlock the door, but before she could do anything, she heard the door unlock on its own and it was pulled open from the other side.

Pyrrha was surprised, but she quickly shook it off when she saw her mother standing there in the doorway. Her name was Sienna Nikos, a middle aged woman that was just slightly shorter than Pyrrha and she had short brown hair, light skin, and bright green eyes.

“Mother!” Pyrrha declared in an excited tone.

“Welcome home my little gladiator.” Sienna said as she gave Pyrrha a big smile and opened up her arms to welcome her daughter with a hug. Pyrrha quickly obliged by practically throwing herself into her mother’s embrace.

“I’ve missed you so much.” Pyrrha spoke softly into her mother’s shoulder.

“I know dear, I’ve missed you too.” Sienna replied while gently patting the taller girls back. The two stood there in the doorway for a moment without saying a word, just enjoying the familiar contact. It wasn’t until the cold draft of winter got the best of them that they broke their embrace. Sienna shivered as she spoke. “Not even a single flake of snow and it’s still this cold? Well come on honey, let’s get you inside before you catch your death.” She said as she helped her daughter bring in some of her luggage.

“Thanks mother.” Pyrrha replied.

After a few minutes of moving back and forth, Pyrrha and Sienna had gotten everything inside and had made their way into the living room to unwind. Once Pyrrha was settled in Sienna remembered that she had been brewing tea and had to quickly excuse herself to take the kettle off the stove. Then she called back to her daughter from the other room. “Do you want any tea Pyrrha?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Pyrrha called back.

Then a moment later Sienna reappeared holding two cups of black tea and handed one to her daughter before taking a seat on the sofa beside her. Pyrrha thanked her mother once again and the two sat there silently enjoying their hot beverage.

Pyrrha like moments like these, they really made her feel like she was home. Of course it made since she actually was home, it just feels like it’s been a lot longer than a few months since she’s been back here. Though, it still felt like something was missing. She wasn’t sure what it was at first, but now that she had some time to take in her surroundings, it became quite obvious. “No Christmas decorations this year?” She asked while she tried in vain to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Sienna lowered her tea and sighed. “Yeah, you can blame your father for that. He stored them in the bloody attic again. I even reminded him to bring them down two days ago, but then he got called out on that emergency mission I told you about and he must have forgotten. Now he won’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.”

“People were in trouble, we can’t be mad at him for going to help. Even if it is during one of the few times I can actually come back to see him.” Pyrrha grumbled before a thought accrued to her. “Though, couldn’t we just go up and get them ourselves?” She asked.

Sienna smiled in a way that suggested she had been waiting for that question. “That floor is still in desperate needs of repairs, it’s practically falling apart and I just don’t trust. Though, you could certainly fetch them in my stead. It would be a lot of fun to decorate together again, just like the old days.”

“You want to send your only daughter on a mission that is so dangerous that you won’t even dare to take in on yourself?” Pyrrha asked cheekily.

Sienna shrugged. “Hey not all of us have aura. If the floor caves in on you, it’s a mild inconvenience. However, if it did the same to me, well I’d be in traction for at least a month.” She reasoned.

Pyrrha chuckled and took another long sip of her tea before speaking again. “Very well, I shall accept this task on your behalf. However, I will expect proper compensation for my services.”

“Oh is that right?” Sienna asked while adding a roll of the eyes. “Alright, how about I give you a slice of your mother’s fresh apple pie? It should be ready in another hour.

“Deal!” Pyrrha cheered as she sat down here now empty tea cup and made to get up. “I shall go forth and return with thine decorations!” With that declaration the mother and daughter duo shared a short laugh before Pyrrha turned to leave the living room and head for the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Before Pyrrha could scale the stairs she heard her mother call out to her again. “Do be careful dear, I meant it when I said that floor is in bad shape! Even if you don’t get hurt, caving in the ceiling is a problem!”

Pyrrha rolled her eyes. “Yes mother!” Then with that she climbed the stairs and then pushed her way to the end of the hall on the second floor where the attic entrance was located. Once there Pyrrha reached up and pulled down a panel in the ceiling and when it swung out a small wooden ladder unfolded in front of here. “Alright, here we go.” She declared as she began pressed on.

Once in the attic, there were three things Pyrrha noticed almost instantly. First her mother really wasn’t kidding about how bad these floors are. If she wasn’t trained to be light on her feet, this place would be a real hazard for sure. The second things she noticed was the dust, there was just so much of it. With how much of a clean freak her mother could be, it was a miracle that she hadn’t just torch the upper level by now. Though, the most interesting things had to be all the old stuff under the dust. There were old books, movies, toys, and furniture, all of which she either had no memory of them ever owning or hadn’t seen in years.

With that in mind she made mental note to come back up here some time before she left for Beacon, see if she could find any old memories to bring back with her. Maybe then she wouldn’t be as homesick as she was in the final stretch before vacation.

Then with the note made, Pyrrha started her search for the Christmas decorations in earnest. However, after a few minutes of searching she realized that it was a lot harder than she originally thought it was going to be. There was a lot of stuff up here and there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the way said stuff was arranged, so she wasn’t quite sure where to look for the decorations. On top of that the poor footing was making it hard to move heavier objects.

Eventually she did find a decent sized box hidden behind a bookshelf filled with lights, tinsel, ornaments, and of course stockings embroidered with her family's names. “Alright, I guess this is what I’m looking for.” She announced as she squatted down to get into a proper lifting position, but then she felt something brush against her butt that was followed by the sound of tumbling to the floor.

“Woops!” Pyrrha mumbled as she spun around to inspect the damage. It didn’t look that bad at least. She had just nudged the bookshelf with her rear and caused a few of its contents to spill out onto the floor. She could just stack them back inside and be done with it.

Then when Pyrrha reached down to gather up the books she noticed a white square object sticking out of one of them that caught her eye. “Hmm, what is this?” She pondered as she pulled the mystery object free to inspect it. There was some writing on the object that read ‘My two angel’s Pyrrha & Artemis’. “What is this?” She asked before she thought to turn the object around and realized that it was an old Polaroid photograph.

The picture was of a young red haired woman who Pyrrha couldn’t quite identify and yet she looked familiar somehow. She was lying in a hospital bed and it looked like this photo was taken shortly after she had given birth since she was cradling two very small babies. “Wait, hold on a minute.” Pyrrha paused as she flipped the photo back over in her hands to read it again, this time allowed. “My two angel’s Pyrrha & Artemis?”

Pyrrha’s brain hit a brick wall. She wasn’t sure what to make of this photo. She had never seen the women in the picture, nor did she know of anyone named Artemis. “Was Artemis the young woman in the photo? Then what about the two babies?” She asked herself.

Before Pyrrha could garner any answers to these questions she heard her mother calling up to her from the floor below. Pyrrha could tell her mother was at the base of the ladder by how close her voice was. “Pyrrha are you alright honey!? I heard a crash!” Sienna asked concern clear in her voice.

Pyrrha quickly shook herself free from her daze so she could reply. “Yes mother, I found the decorations! I will be down soon!” She declared before she stashed the photo into her pocket for later and turned to grab the decorations and made for the ladder.


	2. Artemis Part II: The Photo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha has some questions, will she get her answers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave any thoughts and questions you have in the comments below. I do read them and it is always a pleasure to hear from you.

After Pyrrha had successfully navigated the perilous attic and returning with the coveted Christmas decorations, her mission was complete. Now along with her mother Sienna, Pyrrha went right to setting up the decorations, starting with their Christmas tree.

The Nikos family tree wasn’t anything fancy. Rather it wasn’t even a real living tree. Pyrrha’s father would always say it was too much of a hassle to get a live one. Her mother would complain but Pyrrha never really gave much mind. She actually kind of liked their artificial tree. They’ve used the same tree for as long as she could remember, and that at least meant something. To Pyrrha, it meant that it was just as much a part of their tradition as anything else and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

With practiced speed and precision, Pyrrha had their tree unpacked, assembled, and decorated in record time. Then once she had finished, both her and her mother decided that it was about time for them to take a quick break. That way they could enjoy another one of their traditions, her mother’s famous home cooked apple pie.

Leaving the living room, Pyrrha and Sienna made their way to the kitchen which doubled as their dining room. Upon entering, Sienna instantly went towards the stove which had a freshly steaming kettle sat on top of it and a crispy looking pie resting inside. Pyrrha made to help her mother, but was waved off. “I got this honey, go ahead and sit down.”

“Yes mother.” Pyrrha surrendered before taking a seat at their small kitchen table. She looked up with hungry eyes as her mother careful removed the pie from the oven and began cutting it. “It smells great.” She complemented.

Sienna giggled. “That’s good, though the taste is what’s most important.”

“I’m sure it has that covered too.” Pyrrha argued.

“Well I guess while find out.” Sienna mused as she plated a few pieces of pie and passed them off to her daughter who, received them like a gift from the heavens. “Careful dear, those are still hot.” She warned.

Ignoring her mother’s warnings Pyrrha grabbed a piece with her bare hands and took a large bite out of it. “Ehmm, so good!” She murmured blissfully as she savored it.

Sienna shook her head and smiled. “You could slow down a little you know? It’s not going to go anywhere.”

“I-mumm go-umm.” Pyrrha tried to speak, but couldn’t be bother to stop eating and couldn’t get a word out between bites.

“Hush hon, you’re going to get crumbs everywhere.” Sienna said as she poured herself a cup of tea and made her way over to the table to join her daughter. When Pyrrha ignored her mother by trying to reply with her mouth still full, Sienna pulled out a napkin to shove in her daughter’s face who mumbled some form of complaint that also went ignored.

Relenting, Pyrrha set down her half eaten piece of pie to snatch the napkin from her mother and wipe her mouth clean herself. “Sorry mom, your pie is just so good and it feels like I haven’t had it in ages.”

“I suppose it has been awhile.” Sienna mused. “Though, if you had bothered to visit during your last break we wouldn’t be having this issue.”

That statement made Pyrrha suddenly become sheepish. “Sorry about that.” She apologized. “Even though Thanksgiving isn’t widely celebrated outside of Vale, it is still considered a major holiday in Beacon. I wasn’t really prepared for the vacation and since my teammates Nora and Ren were also originally from around here, they weren’t ready either. When I first heard, I had planned to come back home, but when Jaune found out that none of his teammates had any plans for the holiday, he insisted that we should all go and meet his family as a team.”

“Yeah, so you mentioned. Though, something has been bugging me about that. Was Jaune’s family really okay with that?” Sienna inquired.

“Yeah, I was surprised by how welcoming they were. Oh and I don’t think I told you this, you know what was even more surprising?” Pyrrha asked earning her a shrug from her mother. “Jaune has seven sisters! Seven!” Pyrrha declared animatedly. She still remembers the shock and awe she felt during that very long and confusing introduction. It had taken her nearly the whole vacation just to remember who was who.

“They had eight children!?” Sienna asked somehow sounding both impressed and horrified at the same time. Pyrrha gave her mother a nod and the woman in question looked like she was in disbelief. “Were they all full blood siblings? Were any of them different parents!?” Pyrrha gave a nod to the first question and a dismissal to the second leaving Sienna looking overwhelmed. “Well Misses Ark must be quite the woman to have managed that. I can’t even imagine.”

“Oh yeah, she was incredible. She’s an ex-huntress I believe and so is her husband, or rather Jaune’s dad is a former huntsman.” Pyrrha added. “You should have seen how Jaune and his sister all fell in line whenever Mrs. and Mr. Ark were in the room.”

“They're both retired then?” Sienna asked, earning her another nod from her daughter. “What do they do now? How are they able to support such a large family?”

Pyrrha looked thoughtful as she tried to think of how best to answer. “Hmm, well I know that their house doubles as a tavern. It’s a big part of the reason they were okay with all of us coming so suddenly. When your business is accommodating strangers you kind of get use to it.” Pyrrha explained with a laugh. “Also from what Jaune has told me, he and his sisters would always help out with the family business whenever they had the time. Though, since I was only with them for a short time I can’t claim to really know how well off they were, but they seemed to be getting by well enough.”

“They sound like a good family. I would like to meet this Mrs. Arc some day. Maybe she could share some of her secrets” Sienna mused.

“I’m sure you will some day.” Pyrrha declared, causing Sienna’s eyebrow to rise.

“Oh, what makes you so sure of that my dearest daughter? What would be the occasion for such a meeting I wonder?” Sienna said as she leaned in closer and gave Pyrrha a knowing smile. “You and this Jaune wouldn’t happen to be conspiring to join the families now would you?”

“What?” Pyrrha asked, looking confused for a moment before the Implication of her mother’s words sunk in and she choked. “What!? No, we’re not… I… ugh!” She groaned in frustration.

“What, are you not interest? Sorry, from what you’ve told me about him I had assumed…” Sienna began to apologize before getting waved off by her daughter.

“It’s alright, I mean you’re not wrong. It’s just that I’ve already had this conversation with Lin and I don’t feel like getting teased about it twice in one day.” Pyrrha explained.

Sienna laughed. “Pyrrha I’m your mother, I reserve the right to tease you. That is especially true when it comes to the men in your life.” Pyrrha let out a defeated sigh, causing Sienna’s laughter to intensify. “Oh relax, I will spare you from my questioning for tonight.”

“Thanks mom.” Pyrrha mumbled.

“You’re welcome dear.” Sienna said as she made to stand up and began gathering up the used dishes. “Now if you’re done eating, why don’t you help me clean up?”

Pyrrha had to pause and look down at her plate. When she had finished her pie she wasn’t quite sure, but all that was left of it now were crumbs and echoes. It kind of reminded her of a field after an intense battle. “Alright mother.” She said after letting out a sigh and standing up to assist her mother.

With that Pyrrha and Sienna began hand washing dishes in relative silence. They hadn’t dirtied too much during their little break, but there had still been a few dishes left over from Sienna’s breakfast that she had been putting off doing. Of course Pyrrha was more than happy to help with those as well.

With the task to distract them, the mother daughter duo fell into a peaceful silence, one that wasn’t broken until Sienna posed a question Pyrrha wasn’t quite ready for. “Is something wrong honey?”

“Huh, what!?” Pyrrha startled to see or mother looking at her worriedly.

“I asked if something is wrong?” Sienna repeated.

Pyrrha shook her head and waved dismissively. “No, nothing’s wrong. What makes you think that?”

“Well, you’ve been scrubbing the same dish for the last three minutes.” Sienna pointed out, causing Pyrrha to glance down at the aforementioned plate and noticed that it now sported a pristine finish.

“Oh, sorry.” Pyrrha said with a nervous laugh. “I guess I spaced out there.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot ever since you came back down from the attic. So ill ask again, is there anything wrong?” Sienna explained.

Pyrrha sighed. “You’ll think it’s silly.”

Sienna shrugged. “Perhaps, but I don’t really see what’s wrong with that. Better to be a little embarrassed than to fret over something minor all day.”

Pyrrha giggled. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right, now spill already.” Sienna urged, causing Pyrrha set down the dishes she had been scrubbing to dig into her pants pocket and a moment later she retrieved the photo she had found earlier in the attic. Sienna seemed to still as the Photo came into view. “Wh-what do you have there honey?”

“I found this photo in the attic,” Pyrrha explained as she passed the old polaroid to her mother for inspection. “On the back it says to my two angels, Pyrrha and Artemis. I was just wondering if you happened to know this Artemis.” She explained with an easy shrug. However, her shoulders became stiff when she noticed how rigid her mother had become since accepting the photo. Her mother’s brows were creased and her eyes looked panicked. “Mom, is something wrong?” Pyrrha asked becoming slightly worried.

Sienna didn’t respond at first so Pyrrha reached out to her mother, but when she touched her arm the older woman was startled, causing her body to jerk and knock a ceramic bowl she had clean off the counter. The bowl was sent tumbling down to the tile floor below and shattered into pieces. “Oh no, look what I’ve done!” She said as started to reach down to collect some of the pieces only to be halted when her daughter reached to catch her out stretched hand. Sienna glanced back up to meet the worried eyes of her daughter and gave her a questioning look.

“Let me,” Pyrrha offered and when Sienna’s questioning look persisted Pyrrha added. “I have aura remember? I won’t cut myself.”

“Oh, right, thanks dear.” Sienna replied after a moment’s pause and then she quickly straightened up and handed the photo back to her daughter. “And to answer your question, Artemis was a family friend from back before you were born. We haven’t really seen each other in awhile so it’s no surprise you don’t remember them.” She explained before marching towards the door.

“Mother?” Pyrrha asked, wondering where her mother was going.

“I just remembered that I need to give your father a call. You know, make sure he isn’t dead or something.” She said jokingly while waving her scroll around for Pyrrha to see. Then she disappeared into the living room.

“Well that was strange.” Pyrrha thought aloud before she took another look at the red haired woman in the photo. “Is she Artemis then? So she’s a family friend? Hmm, why would she be holding me then? And who is the other baby?” Knowing she wouldn’t get any answers to these questions right now she let out a tired sigh and pocketed the photo before going to work cleaning up the broken bowl.

As always Pyrrha had a lot of questions, but was quite lacking in the answers department. One thing she could be sure of though was that her mother was hiding something. That response wasn’t normal and that meant that this photo meant something, something big. So she just had to figure out what that something was.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

After leaving her daughter behind to clean up her mess, Sienna soon found herself pacing the living room while staring at her scroll like it were a coiling viper. She had just hit the call button but the suspense was already killing her. She knew this day would come eventually, but that didn’t make her any more prepared. She had secretly hoped she would never have to have this conversation. Did that make her a selfish person? She wasn’t really sure, but the uncertainty was painful enough.

The scroll was now on the fifth ring and Sienna wasn’t sure if she was relieved or mortified that her husband wasn’t picking up. He was busy she was sure, this could wait. I wouldn’t be right to drop something like this on him while he was on such a dangerous and important mission she tried to assure herself.

Then after the sixth ring Sienna was about ready to give up, but then she heard an audible hiss as the speakers of her scroll came to life. On the other end she could hear the faint sounds of a rumbling bullhead engine. Sienna found it slightly odd since her husband had left on his mission some time ago and she had assumed he would have already arrived, but she didn’t have much time to think further on that before a familiar voice came through. “Sienna?”

Sienna’s heart soared at the sound of her husband’s voice and the promise of support she desperately needed, but it quickly sank when she remembered what she need to discuss with him. “Hello dear, I-I umm, there is something I have to tell you.” She said nervously.

There was a pause on the other line. “Honey is everything alright? It’s not like you to call while I’m in the field.” Sienna’s husband inquired. Concern was now evident in his voice.

After taking a moment to breath Sienna spoke again. “Darion, she knows.”

There was another pause and some mumbling in the background. “Wait who are we talking about? What do they know?” Darion replied.

Sienna was still struggling to breath but pressed on. “It’s Pyrrha, she knows! She knows about Artemis!”

There was a clatter on the other side of the line this time and more murmuring, this time more panicked. “What, are you sure!? How!? When!?” Darion responded.

“Yes I’m sure, and just now I guess, she found a photo in the attic and has started asking questions. What do I tell her Darion?!” Sienna asked, her voice sounding desperate. Her eyes were becoming watery.

Sienna could hear her husband taking a deep breath of his own on the other side before replying. “Calm yourself Sienna, you said she just found out? How much does she know?”

“She doesn’t know anything substantial, not yet anyway. I told her that Artemis was just an old family friend, but I don’t think she believed me and don’t know what to do now.” Sienna explained.

Darion let out a long sigh. “Well since it’s come to this there’s only one real thing we can do,” He began causing Sienna’s hopes to rise before he crushed them. “We tell her the truth.”

“No!” Sienna felt the word rip itself from her lips before she could do anything to stop it.

“Sienna?” Darion spoke softly.

“I mean, I thought we weren’t going to tell her until she was an adult. That is what we all agreed on, right? We can’t just go back on our word.” Sienna explained.

“Sienna listen, we knew this day was going to come eventually. She has a right to know and besides, Pyrrha isn’t a kid anymore. She is already seventeen and is smart enough to make her own decisions in life.” Darion reasoned.

“B-but, wh-what if she does-doesn’t.” Sienna tried to speak, but was finding it more and more difficult. “I just, don’t want to lose her Darion.” Now she really was crying.

“I know Sienna, trust me I do, but do you really think this will change anything? You’re her mother and she loves you. That is just a fact, and nothing can take the time you’ve spent together away from you.” Darion assured before his tone became a bit more serious. “The only thing we could do to turn her away is to continue lying to her like this. So I think the best thing we can do is to just rip off the band-aid now so we can get back to being a family sooner rather than latter.”

Sienna wanted to argue, but she knew her husband was right. There wasn’t any way around this so she may as well stop stalling and just hope for the best. “You’re right, I will tell her.” She said with a sigh. “Are you going to let the others know about this?”

There was a groan on the other side of the line. “I guess I should huh? She might not like the fact we’re going back on our promise, but hey it’s only a little early.”

“Alright, well I guess I’ll leave you too it then. Be careful out there dear.” Sienna declared.

“Yeah, you too and tell our girl that I miss her for me will you.” Darion said.

Sienna felt herself starting to smile. “Will do, goodbye honey.” With that Darion said his own farewell and the call had ended, allowing Sienna a brief moment to settle herself before she heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the kitchen.

“Mom?” Sienna heard the voice of her daughter call out to her from behind. Startled Sienna spun around to see Pyrrha approaching her and she could also make out the worry in her girl’s eyes. Pyrrha was already half way into the room and Sienna hadn’t noticed her enter. She had to wonder how long she had been there and if she’d heard any that conversation. “What was that about just now?” Pyrrha asked. Sienna took that as a yes.

Sienna had to take a moment to gather herself before replying. “Pyrrha, we need to talk.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

Until just now it had just been a suspicion, a nagging thought in her head spurned on by that photo, but now Pyrrha was sure something was wrong. She had only caught the tail end of her parent’s conversation, but from what she had heard they were hiding something. It was something big, something that they were afraid to talk about. That was very concerning.

Luckily it didn’t seem like Pyrrha would need to pry it out of them since they had already decided she was ready for this is, whatever it was. That was a good feeling she supposed. However, it still didn’t seem like this was going to be an easy conversation. That much was clear by the way her mother had made it a point to sit her down before starting or at least trying to anyway. Her mother would repeatedly open her mouth like she was about to say something only to snap it shut again and look away with a more pained expression each time.

Pyrrha had to wonder what could be so bad to make her mother act like this. It couldn’t be that one of them was sick, could it? It couldn’t be cancer, could it!? No, Pyrrha shook her head to dismiss that thought. It just didn’t fit. Based on what she caught of the conversation between her parents, whatever it was that they were hiding was something they’ve been holding back for a while. If one of them were seriously ill, surely she would have noticed something was amiss by now.

Pyrrha thought harder. Could they be losing the house? She pondered. No, surely not. Her family wasn’t rich, but they always lived well within their means and it didn’t seem like they were cutting back on spending, so it couldn’t be financial problems. Pyrrha also considered the possibility that her mother was having another child. She knew it was something her parents wanted, but she quickly dismissed that notion as well. Such news would have been joyous and wouldn’t call for this level of secrecy even if it were for the sake of surprising her.

Pyrrha ran through a few more possibilities in her head, but none seemed to fit. It was like trying to complete a puzzle without any of the border pieces. She was just making shots in the dark without anything to go on and as a result, she wasn’t getting anywhere. Fortunately she was saved from her own thoughts when her mother finally worked up the courage to speak.

“Pyrrha,” Sienna began. Her voice was uncertain but steady. “I, we, I mean your father and I. You know that we love you right?” She asked as she met her daughter’s eyes.

“Yes, of course I do.” Pyrrha replied immediately, however it seemed to do little to dispel her mother’s worried expression. Pyrrha didn’t like where this conversation was going. It almost sounded like some sort of intervention, or perhaps a break up, but that couldn’t be it.

Pyrrha didn’t need an intervention, or at least she didn’t think she did, but she supposed that was normal for those with a problem. Still, she was fairly sure that wasn’t it and her parents couldn’t break up with her even if they wanted to. She was their child whether they liked it or not and they were stuck with her. However, that thought invited a far more probable and unsettling thought. Her parents were a couple, and couples could break up.

“Could this all of be about my parents getting a divorce!?” Pyrrha thought to herself causing her mind to descend into full blown panic mode.

Now that Pyrrha really thought back on it, her parents didn’t always get along. Even just a few hours ago her mother had been complaining about her father’s actions, or rather lack thereof. However that was a minor thing at worst. She needed more so she tried to come up with any instances that would point in that direction. Thankfully nothing jumped out at her right away, but she didn’t know how far back this went. Everything could just seem normal now because their relationship had always been shaky.

“Could that be why they were waiting for her to become an adult? Wait, didn’t they mention another woman being involved earlier?! Has her father been cheating on her mom!? That couldn’t be, there was just no way!” Pyrrha screamed internally.

“Pyrrha, listen.” Sienna said breaking Pyrrha free from negative thoughts and causing her to refocus her full attention on her mother. “There is something you need to know about me, about your-our family.” Pyrrha was biting her lip now to keep herself from screaming. Her mother’s phrasing was not helping her nerves right now. “You see the truth is,” Sienna paused. “Oh Oum, where do I even begin with this one?” She asked herself.

“Well, you could start from the beginning.” Pyrrha suggested while trying desperately to keep her voice even and not let her panic show.

“Hmm yeah, I guess that could work.” Sienna replied before a thoughtful look came over her face. After a moment she looked like she had decided on what she was going to say and begun again. “You see Pyrrha, you know how I use to work as a nurse right?” Pyrrha gave a nod allowing her mother to go on. “Well at the time, the place I worked at was a small clinic a few villages away from here. That’s the place where your father and I first met.” Pyrrha raised a questioning eyebrow. “What?”

“When I said the beginning, that wasn’t really what I had in mind.” Pyrrha deadpanned.

Sienna let out a soft laugh, but there was no mirth in it. “I know that, but this is related.” Pyrrha looked skeptical. “It is just trust me.” Pyrrha sighed and motioned for her mother to continue. “Right, like I was saying. I met your father at that clinic a long time ago. However, what’s important here isn’t the fact that we met, but rather his reason for being there that day. Do you know why he was there, Pyrrha?” Sienna asked suddenly sounding serious.

“I don’t know.” Pyrrha replied easily. It wasn’t like she could have known the answer since she wouldn’t have even been born yet and this was the first time one of her parents had spoken about the time they met. In hindsight that was actually kind of odd. She now found herself wondering why she had never heard this story before, luckily she wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Your father came to our clinic to get his new baby girl her first check-up.” Sienna declared dryly and then paused to allow the words to sink in.

Pyrrha froze, she had heard what her mother said, but something about what Sienna said just didn’t compute. It was almost as if her train of thought had been completely derailed and was sent spirally into a black hole. Then after what seemed like an eternity, but what had likely only been a few seconds, Pyrrha finally found her voice again and said the only thing she could come up with. “I beg your pardon?”

Sienna let out a deep sigh before meeting her daughter’s questioning gaze. “The day I met your father for the first time was a very special day for me. If only because it was also the first time I met you, Pyrrha.”

Pyrrha’s eyes widened and her mouth feel open. For a moment she struggled for something to say and when she did speak her words came out hoarse. “No, but th-that can’t be. That would m-mean, I’m not, you’re not my...”

“I’m not your mother Pyrrha, I’m sorry that we’ve been lying to you about this for so long. We just figured it would be easier for you.” Sienna explained.

“Wait, but if your not my mother, who is, and where are they!? Did something happen to her!?” Pyrrha spat a little bit louder than she had intended.

“She is alive and I assume well, if that is what you are asking. As for who she is, do you still have the photo you showed me earlier?” Sienna inquired.

Pyrrha gave a nod and retrieved the photo from her pocket for their inspection. This had all started when she showed it to her mother, or rather stepmother this photo, so it made sense that it was connected somehow. “Is it this woman, is she my real mother?” Pyrrha asked while pointing to the red haired women in the picture. Sienna gave a nod. “So is she Artemis then?”

“No.” Sienna replied curtly. “That is indeed your birth mother in that photo, but Artemis isn’t your mother.” She said before motioning to one of the two babies cradled in the women’s arms. “This is Artemis. She is your twin sister.”

“Oh,” Pyrrha replied before performing a double take. “Wait, my what?!”

“You have a sister, Pyrrha. You also have another mother. The question is, would you like to meet them?”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The next day, Pyrrha had decided to make good on her promise to come visit her manager Lin at her family’s gym, if only to get out of the house for a bit and clear her head. The workout certainly helped, but once she had finished it she found that it wasn’t enough to keep her distracted, so she turned to her long time friend and manager for advice. Perhaps an outside perspective could do her some good.

“And that’s what Sienna told me.” Pyrrha declared in exasperation, ending her explanation of yesterday’s events. Recounting everything that her mother or rather stepmother had told her had proven to be almost as painful as hearing it the first time.

Lin didn’t answer at first, her eyes just started back at her friend and client like she had grown a second head. Though in fairness, that wasn’t that far from the truth in this case. “Wow, that is. Just wow. I can’t believe Sienna’s not your real mom, I mean you’re all the woman ever talks about. Well there is that and pastry recipes.” Pyrrha let out a light laugh. “On top of that you also have a long lost twin sister. That is huge. This seriously sounds like the plot of a bad soap opera. You’re not going to come down with some sort of incurable disease or slip into a coma now are you?”

“No Lin, I’m fine.” Pyrrha said while shaking her head. “Really though, what do you think I should do about this?” She asked, her tone hopeful.

“What, you’re asking me?” Lin shot back with an eyebrow raised in inquiry.

Pyrrha expression fell. She seemed slightly taken back by Lin’s response, but pressed on. “Yeah, well I mean. I have no idea what to do about this situation and I don’t really know who else to turn to for advice on the matter. I’m sorry if you don’t want to.”

“Whoa there kid, it’s not that I don’t want to help you out, I just don’t know what to tell you.” Lin interrupted. “I mean, if I were in your shoes I would probably be getting checked into an institution right about now, because this shit right here is completely insane.”

“Lin, you’re not helping!” Pyrrha complained with huff.

“Sorry, this is just so far outside my usual territory.” Lin said apologetically. Pyrrha relented, but still looked like she was waiting for a proper answer. “You really want my advice?” Pyrrha gave a nod. “Alright, but I think your asking the wrong questions here.”

“What do you mean?” Pyrrha asked now sounding curious.

“Well,” Lin began. “You keep asking what I think you should be doing, but this situation isn’t so simple. There isn’t really any right or wrong way to go about this. So I think you should be asking yourself what is it that you want to do.” Lin explained, getting Pyrrha to give her a confused look. Lin sighed. “Do you want to meet these people or not?”

“Yes, I want to meet them!” Pyrrha instantly replied.

“Then don’t you already have your answer?” Lin inquired.

“Yeah sure, but I can’t just pop in on them out of nowhere like that. Won’t I be bothering them?” Pyrrha replied.

“Why can’t you?” Lin inquired and when she was met with a frown, she rolled her eyes and went on. “I mean you wouldn’t even be going through all of this confusion if everyone else hadn’t been keeping so many secrets from you. At this point, I think you’re entitled to some answers, kid.”

Pyrrha hummed in thought before speaking again. “But do you think that they’ll like me?” She asked, suddenly sounding very small.

Lin let out a soft laugh. “What you think they’re going to be disappointed?” When Pyrrha remained silent and failed to meet Lin’s eyes she sighed. “Gees girl, we really need to work on your self-confidence. I mean you’re the Pyrrha Nikos, and I know you hate it when people put it that way, but you know that you’re kind of a big deal. I’m sure any mother or sister would be proud of your accomplishments, but even if such things didn’t matter to them, I have yet to meet someone as easy to get along with as you.”

“You really think so?” Pyrrha asked, still sounding a bit skeptical.

“Well, you can be a bit annoying sometimes. Like right now for example.” Lin jabbed her tone suggesting it was a joke, Pyrrha’s scowl suggested she didn’t find it very funny. “However, I think you’re a sweet, honest, and hardworking kid who just wants to reconnect with her family and I believe they will see that as well.”

Pyrrha took a deep breath and once she let it out, a determined look came over her face. “Alright, I will go see them.”

“Good,” Lin said with a nod of acknowledgement. “So now that’s decided, when’re you going to do it?” She asked.

Pyrrha looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. “Yesterday my mom, Sienna, told me that my dad is going to contact my birth mother. They’re going to let her know that I’ve found out the truth so she won’t be surprised if I show up suddenly. They also gave me her address, but it’s nowhere near here.”

“Oh, where do they live?” Lin asked.

“The island of Patch apparently, it’s a small settlement only a few miles off Vale Kingdom’s coast.” Pyrrha replied.

“Wow, they were that close?” Lin asked. Pyrrha gave a nod. “Small world it seems, though I guess when most of it is infested by monsters it makes sense. So I assume you’re going to go see them after you get back to Beacon?”

“I’m going a day before actually.” Pyrrha corrected. “I’ll leave a day early so I can get back before classes start up again. That will give us some time to actually get to know each other.”

“Ripping the bandage off right away, a bold strategy, I like it.” Lin declared before looking thoughtful for a moment then speaking again. “Want me to come with?” She offered.

“W-what?” Pyrrha mumbled almost sounding startled.

“I’m asking if you want me to come with you to Patch.” Lin repeated.

“What, I can’t ask you to go to that much trouble! You’ve just got back from Vale and you got a lot of work to do don’t you?” Pyrrha reasoned.

“Hey as your manager, maintaining your mental and physical well being is part of my job. Since this is clearly bothering you a great deal, it is in my best interests to help you sort it out. Also this is a huge event in your life and as your friend I want to be there to support you. Monty knows you might need somebody in your corner for this fight.” Lin explained.

Not really being able to argue against that, Pyrrha let out a defeated sigh before speaking. “Thanks Lin, it means a lot.”

Lin smiled. “No problem kid. Now come on,” She said waving Pyrrha to get up. “We still need to do some weightlifting and here in ten minutes Liza should be coming in. Though Liza is a bit of a newbie, she is in the aura league as well so I can see about setting up a meet and greet/sparring match. Then we call it a day and get to packing.”

“You’re the best, Lin.” Pyrrha said with a laugh.

“You know it!” Lin declared.


	3. Artemis Part III The Other Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the other half lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone, good to see you, well I guess I can't really see you. (OR CAN I!) Really though, I know its been awhile since I've uploaded anything. Work has been kicking the crud out of me lately. 8 and a half hour shifts, 6 days a week none stop, we can't even get any extra days off around the holidays as of late.
> 
> Well enough of me complaining, I'm sure that's not what you're here for. As I'm sure you likely know, this is chapter 3 of Artemis. This is a slightly shorter one than the last two, but we learn quite a bit about our name sake character in this chapter. Do note that this chapter has not been proof read yet so do bear with any mistakes you may find.
> 
> Please remember to leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments. It helps out a lot and lets me know that you care.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. Or your soul. (YET!)

When Pyrrha hugged her mother and told her goodbye in the Thessaly City she felt determined, after a few hours on the flight over to Patch however, that determination waned. By the time she stepped off the plane, she had become apprehensive. Then once she had made it through customs, she had begun to doubt. So by the time she had exited the building and Lin had brought their rental car around, she was in full blown panic mode.

“I’m not sure about this.” Pyrrha declared as she took her seat in the passenger’s side of their rental car.

“What? This car isn’t that bad is it? I mean, it’s a slightly old model, but it looks like it’s in better shame than my car at least.” Lin said.

Pyrrha sighed. “I’m not talking about the car Lin.”

Lin laughed. “I know that, just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Gees, you’re impossible.” Pyrrha huffed.

“So,” Lin began. “What is your not sure about?”

“Nothing, everything, I don’t know. This all just feels so sudden, I don’t know if I’m ready.” Pyrrha explained.

“I don’t think anyone would be ready to find themselves in your situation Pyrrha. I sure as hell know I wouldn’t be.” Lin retorted. “However, you and I are different. Even if you’re not ready, you can still handle this.”

“Oh, how do you figure?” Pyrrha asked.

A bemused look came over Lin’s face before she replied. “Umm, because you’re Pyrrha Nikos duh.” Pyrrha rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious here, how many times have you gone into a match knowing next to nothing about your opponent while they’ve spent all the time leading up to it studied you like their life depended on it?”

“Nobody really does that right?” Pyrrha said earning her an incredulous look from her manager. “Well it doesn’t matter. This isn’t the same as a fight.”

“Well you’re certainly right about this being different. In most cases a fight is a desperate struggle that usually results in one party winning and the other losing. In this case however, I know with certainty that you’re not trying to defeat your mother and sister. I would also wager a guess that they wouldn’t want to defeat you either. There would be no benefit in that. Which means the best case scenario, would be one in which everyone comes out on top. You get to have them in your life, they get to have you, and everyone gets to be happy in the end.” Lin explained.

“And how do you suppose we achieve that?” Pyrrha asked.

Lin shrugged. “Got me kid, there’s a reason that this world has such a long history of war. People are different, that’s just fact, and sometimes those differences cause conflict. If you want to make as many people happy as possible, you’ll have to find a middle ground. Something everyone can latch onto.”

“What if I can’t do that?” Pyrrha inquired.

“You may not be able to,” Lin admitted. “You can’t please everyone all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is perfectly okay to give it a try, but if it’s not working out you have to be willing to cut your losses and move on. Some people put walls up for a good reason and if you push too hard, you could end up taking down a load baring wall and end up losing everything in the process.”

“That sounds like good advice, but how will I even know when I’m pushing too hard?” Pyrrha inquired. Lin rolls her eyes and jerks hard on the steering wheel taking a turn a little bit too sharply and causing the unprepared Pyrrha to flop around in her seat. After regaining her composure Pyrrha glares over to her managers. “Lin what the hell!?”

Lin laughs. “What did I take that turn too hard there? I didn’t think you’d be able to tell.” She deadpans causing Pyrrha pout and cross her arms. “Look, all you have to do is use some common sense. I know that isn’t your strong suit,” Pyrrha slugged her manager in the arm. “Ouch, hey driving here!”

“If you can call it driving.” Pyrrha deadpans.

Lin decided to let that jab go and get back on track. “Anyway like I was saying, you and your family more than likely want the same thing to happen here. So as long as you take it slow and avoid saying anything to make them think you’re completely crazy, everything should be fine. Think you can handle that champ?”

Pyrrha let out a long sigh as she sank back into her seat. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Good,” Lin said with a smile. “Now sit tight, we still have about an hour before we get there.”

Pyrrha gave a curt nod before turning her attention towards her window and the island landscape she could see moving by beyond it. The view was nice, but a little gloomier than she had expected.

It was a little past 1pm now and while the sun was still high in the sky, the thick cloud cover shrouded everything in sight, and painted the sky grey. There was also a slight nip in the air, nothing compared to the harsh winters back home, or even the summer days in Atlas, but certainly weather that could warrant an extra lair or two. For whatever reason when Pyrrha thought about islands, she always envisioned tropical paradises, but she supposed that couldn’t be the case everywhere.

Though, the unpleasant weather didn’t seem to bother the natives at all. As past through a residential area, Pyrrha could see several people of varying ages outside playing games, riding bikes, or even just out for a walk. She even saw a few people out in short sleeves and shorts which spoke of incredibly poor planning, or amazing physical endurance. For a moment she wondered if they might be some form of mental conditioning, but had to remind herself that not everyone needed to learn such things.

After awhile Pyrrha started to notice that many of the schools that they had past were already occupied. “Huh, I guess they start school earlier out here.” She commented.

“Looks like it, poor brats.” Lin mused as she looked over at a nearby school yard filled with playing kids. “I wonder if that means your sister is back in school already.”

Pyrrha shrugged. There wasn’t really any way to know for sure and it probably wouldn’t matter. They still had awhile to go before they arrived and given the time she doubted school would be in session much longer.

After that, Pyrrha spent most of the remaining trip pondering about many different things. Such as, what kind of school her sister would attend and of course what kind of person she could be.

At some point in Pyrrha’s pondering she must have dosed off since the next thing she could remember was being awaken by the sound of the car’s engine cutting off. Lazily opening her eyes, she now found that they had pulled into a small driveway. “Is this it?” She asked.

“I think so,” Lin replied before double checking the GPS on her scroll. “Assuming this is actually their address.”

Pyrrha stretched herself out and yawned before leaning over to glance down at the scroll. Then she glanced out the windshield at the house itself. “Yeah, this looks like the place.” She declared before taking a deep breath and popping open her door to step out of the vehicle.

Lin quickly followed Pyrrha’s lead stepping out of the car and taking in her surroundings. “Nice place?”

“Not quite what I expected.” Pyrrha said.

Nice wasn’t quite the word Pyrrha would use for it. It was a rather small house, likely only about half the size of hers back home, but it wasn’t its size that bothered her. What did catch her attention was the unkempt grass and what had likely been a garden in the yard as well as the obvious storm damage to the roof and siding.

The home’s issues all looked rather superficial, rather easy fixes, but the fact that they were unattended was cause for concern. “You don’t think they moved do you?” Pyrrha inquired now sounding a bit uncertain.

Lin shrugs. “And leave their car parked in the driveway and the garage door wide open?” She points out while motioning to another vehicle besides theirs and the open garage filled with dusty tools, unopened paint cans, and relatively new looking bicycle. “Besides if they did move, you would think that the land lord would at least do something about this grass. Or that roof. It would be hard to sell it looking like this.” She said scratching her head. Then she turned to glance at the other houses in the area. “Though by the looks of it this is still one of the better houses in this neighborhood. If it were in better shape it would be worth a decent amount.”

Pyrrha took a look at the row of houses further down the street and had to agree. “Well, I guess there is only one way to find out.” She said before she began a slow walk towards the front door.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Lin inquired as she stepped in toe with her young client.

Internally Pyrrha was screaming denials, but on the outside. “Yes, well about as ready as I’m going to be.”

Lin gave a nod. “Well just remember that I’m right behind you.”

“Thanks Lin.” Pyrrha said while trying to put on a brave smile. Now in front of the door, Pyrrha took a deep breath and let it out before raising her hand towards the door to knock. “Here goes nothing.”

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

**Earlier That Day**

Not far from Pyrrha’s destination, stood a single two story structure that many knew as Adam’s Highschool. Adam’s High wasn’t the best highschool in the area, but it was certainly the most affordable. Also since it wasn’t bad enough to hurt your résumé later on in life, for those who weren’t in the upper 1% of society it was the school of choice.

With winter break now over, the first day of the new term had begun. Though the bell hadn’t sounded yet, most students had already found their way to their homerooms, and were waiting for the day to begin.

In one such classroom, all of the students had already figured out their own seating arrangements and staked their claim. Now they were just talking quietly amongst themselves while waiting on their teacher to arrive.

After a few minutes of this, a lone man wearing a black tie and a white dress shirt stepped into the room just before the bell rang. “Just made it.” The man joked to himself as he stepped over to his desk at the front of the room. Then he picked up a clip board from it and turned to face the class. “Good morning class, in case any of you have forgotten since we last saw one another I’m Mr. Maxwell your homeroom teacher. I trust all of you enjoyed your break?”

In response to the question the class broke into a spirited murmur about the break. Mr. Maxwell laughed. “I see that you did, that’s good. After all you lot will be stuck in here for the next few months.” That earned him a few boos from the class. “Alright, how about we jump right into this with roll call?”

There was another murmur in the class room, but nobody made any objections. Mr. Maxwell gave a nod before starting. “Mark Williams.”

“Here boss.” A boy near the back of the class called out.

“Jasmine Chase.” Mr. Maxwell continued.

“I’m here sir.” A young blonde haired woman called out from the second row.

“Artemis Null.” Mr. Maxwell called out.

“I told you its pronounced Noel sir.” A young woman with short red hair in the back corner of the room declared. “Artemis Noel, it’s not that hard. Seriously you would think someone with an academic background such as yourself would’ve been able to grasp that by now.” Her tone managed to sound both bored and annoyed at the same time.

The teacher just laughed as he looked over to meet the red heads gaze. Her emerald eyes narrowed as they met his. “And I see the holiday has done little to dull your silver tongue Miss Noel.”

“Whatever.” Artemis retorted.

The fact that her teacher had just spoken her last name perfectly did not go unnoticed by Artemis. She figured the man was doing this intentionally, but she couldn’t quite figure out why so she just rolled her eyes and promptly begun to ignore her teacher completely.

Mr. Maxwell didn’t seem bothered by his student’s standoffish attitude and simply returned to roll call. “Heather Rockwell.”

“Here!”

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Artemis breathed a great sigh of relief as the final bell rang signaling her freedom from this insane asylum they claim to be a school, at least for awhile. So without any delay she quickly packed up her books and made a break for the classroom’s door.

With practiced maneuvers Artemis weaved her way through the bustling crowd of teenagers and after encountering minimal opposition, she soon found herself half way down the hallway and in front of her personal locker. Then she went to work on her pad lock, dialing in the combination without any difficulty. Once the luck came undone and she was in, she became like a robber breaking into a bank safe playing in reverse. She began rapidly pulling objects from her bag and stashing them in her locker, while only removing one item.

A small beat up looking scroll was what Artemis had taken and she quickly pocketed the device before slamming her locker shut and relocking it. It was only at this time did she notice the blonde girl leaning up against the lockers beside her. “Hello Jasmine.” Artemis said with a sigh.

“Hey girl,” The girl said as she directed her full attention on Artemis. “I know this is our first day back, but I got to tell you I’m already sick of this place.”

“Yeah, but what can you do.” Artemis replied.

“So,” The blonde began.

“So?” Artemis interrupted sounding impatient.

“Want to hangout tonight?” The blonde offered.

Artemis groaned. “You know that I can’t. I have to pick up the little brats from school right after this. Then I have to watch them until mom gets home from work and by then it will be about time for me to go to work myself.” She explained.

“I know and I realize that you’re busy, but it feels like we haven’t hung out in ages. You even blow me off all vacation. Where were you?” Jasmine asked.

“Working.” Artemis replied dryly.

“Working?” Jasmine asked as if she didn’t hear her friend right. That earned her a nod from Artemis. “All vacation?” Artemis gave another nod. “You let your boss get away with that!? Its Charismas for goodness sake! There hast to be some sort of law!”

Artemis shook her head. “I volunteered, needed that holiday pay.”

Jasmine sighed as she griped the bridge of her nose. “Of course you did. Gees girl, is work all you think about?”

“Hey I want to go out and have fun as much as the next girl, but I have people who count on me and I can’t just blow them off.” Artemis retorted sounding defensive.

“I know and I get that, but does that make it okay to blow off your friends all the time? We are friends right? To be honest I’m starting to wonder.” Jasmine countered.

“What!? No, I mean yes we’re friends! I just don’t have any time right now okay, can we just rain check this?” Artemis pleaded.

Jasmine shrugged. “I suppose, though it’s a shame. I have something I think you would like to see.”

Artemis raised an eyebrow in question. “Like what?”

“I found a recording from the finals of this big charity huntsman tournament they recently held in Vale. I downloaded it to my labtop, haven’t watched it yet, figured we could watch it together.” Jasmine replied.

Artemis paused before humming in thought. “Who’s in it?” She asked eventually earning a cocky smile from her friend.

“You’re favorite Miss Robin Rangers of course!” Jasmine exclaims.

Artemis’ eyes light up, but she manages to contain herself. “Who is she up against?”

Jasmine shrugs. “Some big shot up and comer apparently. If I remember her name correctly, it is Pyrrha Nikos. It’s the first I’ve heard of her though. What about you?”

Artemis thinks for a moment then shakes her head. “Nope, I’ve never heard of her. What does she look like?”

Jasmine smiled widely. “She’s really tall, has light skin, long red hair, and bright green eyes. Sound like anyone we know?” She asked while playfully nudging her friend.

“She looks like me?” Artemis asked now sounding curious.

“Girl if you grew your hair out a bit, the two of you could be twins. Which now I’m even more convince would be a good look for you. Regardless my mind was blown the first time I saw her.” Jasmine replied.

Artemis shook her head at the suggestion. “No way, long hair has way to much upkeep“Where is she from?” Artemis asked.

Jasmine paused as she thought about it. “Umm, Minstrel I believe. Though, she is currently training in Beacon over in Vale.”

“Oh? My moms from Minstrel, maybe she is a distant relative.” Artemis said before biting her lib and letting out a sigh. “Damn, now I really want to see this.” Jasmine started to look excited but deflated when Artemis began to speak again. “However, I still can’t. Not today at least. I will be stuck at home.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t watch it!” Jasmine retorted. “I have it on my labtop remember!? How about I just come over?” She offered.

“Tempting,” Artemis said before shaking her head. “But no. You know how my mom feels about that huntsman stuff. I’m sure you’ve heard one of her ‘It’s blood sport’ rants before?” Jasmine winced as she recalled one such event. “Needless to say, she doesn’t like me watching let alone the brats. If she finds out I was watching that in front of them, she’s going to throw a fit.”

“We could just watch in your room.” Jasmine suggested.

Artemis sighed. “The three of us share a room remember? I don’t think they would care much for being locked out of it.”

Jasmine started to scratch her head and grumbled something under her breath about stubbornness. “Fine I give up on the video, but I’m still coming over!” She declared.

Artemis looked at the determined expression on her friends face and finally relented. “Very well, just let me shoot a message to my mom to let her know your coming.”

“Yeah, victory!” Jasmine cheered.

With that Artemis retrieved her scroll from her pocket slid her finger along the surface to unlock it so she could message her mother only to pause when she noticed she had a message in her inbox. “Huh, what’s this?” She said to herself catching Jasmine’s attention.

“What’s up?” Jasmine inquired.

“It’s just a message from my mom.” Artemis replied before reading through it. “Apparently she’s picking up the kids herself and wants me to come straight home after I get off school. She has something important to tell me.”

“Is that normal?” Jasmine asked.

“Nope, this is super weird. Mom should still be in work, so why would she be picking up the kids and what could she have to tell me? Hmm this could be serious, do you still want to come up?” Artemis inquired.

Jasmine shrugged. “I don’t mind if you don’t, I’m use to drama. Besides if this is serious you might need a friend.”

Artemis smiled at that before reaching over and pulling Jasmine into a headlock. “Ah, thanks. If you’re sure than lets go.”

//////////////////////////////////////////

Artemis didn’t have a driver’s license. Even though getting a license had been on her to do list for quite some time, her family only had one vehicle at the moment and they didn’t really have the budget for a second one. So a license she couldn’t really make use of wasn’t high on her priority list.

However, Artemis’ school was located a several miles away from her home and her mother was usually working when she got off so picking her up wasn’t really an option. Because of this, she would usually ride her bike to and from school and this day was no different.

What was different today was that she had a passenger in the form of her friend Jasmine and could go straight home for once.

Artemis had originally intended to pick up her little brother and sister from their school on her way back home from school. This was basically an every day event for her since her siblings got off school at about the same time and her mother was usually no more available to pick them up than she was for her. Of course her bike wasn’t big enough for more than two people to ride comfortably, but her sibling’s school was far closer to their home which would allow her to walk the rest of the way without too much hassle.

About half way to their destination Artemis glimpsed back at her lone passenger. “You alright back there?” She asked.

Jasmine shrugged, or at least tried to. Since she was currently standing on the back wheels pegs and had her arms rapped around her friend’s shoulders for support and didn’t want to risk compromising that by removing her hands or changing her posture, the motion was a bit awkward. “I’m doing alright I guess. It’s kind of fun riding like this actually.”

“Well that’s good for you I suppose, now if only you weren’t so heavy. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so hard to peddle.” Artemis declared.

Jasmine snored but wisely chose not to rise to her friends bait. Instead she looked ahead of them towards their approaching destination. “Stop you’re wining, we’re almost there anyway.”

“Looks like my mom is already home.” Artemis declared as she pulled her bike into her house’s driveway where her mother’s car was currently parked. Then the pair promptly dismounted the bike before Artemis walked it over to the open garage to stow it away.

After that the two friends walked to the front door and with Artemis leading the way, they entered. Once inside her home, Artemis began to scan her surrounding for any side of her mother. However, it wasn’t until she reached the living room that she found any signs of life. Her two younger siblings a 12 year old boy named Max and an 11 year old girl named Kate. Both had light brown hair and bright green eyes. The two were sat in the middle of the room, still in their school uniforms, and were watching X-Ray and Vav on their home television.

A little past the children, towards the back corner of the room was what looked like a small family shrine. A single picture of a brown haired middle aged man the only thing being displayed. "I'm home dad." Artemis gave a silent greeting to the man in the photo as she stepped forth.

Hearing Artemis and Jasmines entrance, the two children turned to gaze at them. Kate gave her elder sister a bright smile and Max called out. “Hey sis.”

“Hey twerps, have you seen mom?” Artemis asked in reply.

“She is in the kitchen.” Kate said in a soft voice.

“Ah thanks.” Artemis said before heading towards the next room and waving Jasmine along.

A moment later and the pair were stepping into the Kitchen to see her mother sticking something into the stove. Like Artemis’ mother Callista was like and older reflection of herself. She was a tall middle aged woman with long flowing red hair and bright green eyes and despite her age her appearance was still quite youthful.

Hearing her daughter enter, Callista turned to see her and smiled warmly as she greeted her. “Ah you made it back, I was,” Then she passed and her smile faltered for a moment when Jasmine came in behind her. “Oh hello to you too Jasmine, I didn’t know you were coming today.”

Seeing the older woman’s reaction Jasmine quickly smacked her friend in the arm for not giving her mom a heads up like she said she was going to, Artemis shrugged and silently mouthed the words ‘I forgot, sorry.’ Jasmine then turned her full attention back to Callista. “Hello ma’am, I hope I’m not intruding. If you want I can leave for today, I can always come see Artemis another time.”

“Oh no, no it’s fine!” Callista rushed to assure the girl. “If my daughter invited you, then you’re more than welcome.”

“Thanks ma’am.” Jasmine said with a smile.

“So mom what is all this about?” Artemis asked as she eyed her mother up and down. She would usually only just be getting out of work at this time of the day and it was about a half hour commute. On top of that she wasn’t wearing her work cloths, which Artemis was far more use to seeing her in after her return. Instead she was wearing one of her best dresses and based on the fact she could see any signs of the dark circles that usually hung under her mothers eyes, she wagered that she had also applied some make up. “Why aren’t you at work? Don’t tell me you lost your position at the factory?”

Callista shook her head. “No of course not, I just took a day off, and nothing bad is happening. Rather I think this will be a good thing for our family.” Callista reassured her doubting worried daughter.

To Callista’s relief the panic in Artemis’ expression had faded, but it had now become sharp and thoughtful. She eyed her mother carefully before saying. “Okay, then what is going on here?”

Callista took a moment to consider her answer before replying with. “We’re going to have an important guest over today.”

“An important guest?” Artemis echoed. “What kind of guest? Who’re they?”

Callista ponder for a moment longer, she now looked a bit nervous. “It’s somebody I’ve been meaning to introduce to you for some time now. They will be a big part in our lives from now on.” She finally replied.

After hearing her mothers reply Artemis’ eyes sharpened with suspicion. She didn’t miss the fact that her mother hadn’t really answered her questions and the terms she used made Artemis uneasy. Something just didn’t add up. She has said that she had been meaning to have this meet up for awhile, yet she just sprung it on her out of nowhere. She also wondered what her mother could have meant about them being a big part of their life moving forward. Then she glimpsed back at her mothers unusually shinny appearance and something clicked.

“Mother, are you dating again?” Artemis asked in a low tone that made her words border on accusation.

Callista startled as she met her daughters measuring gaze. “What, no! I’m not-“

Artemis cut in again with a deep sigh before her mother could finish. “Dearest mother, you do recall that you told me you would let me know if you started dating again right!?” She roared.

Sensing her the mood in the room shifting and that this may be a bit too sensitive a topic for her to step into Jasmine quickly bowed out by saying. “You know somebody should be watching the kids, I will be in the living room.” With that she fled the kitchen.

“Artemis that isn’t-“ Callista tried again, but was once again interrupted by her daughter.

“Look I don’t care if you’re d-dating,” Artemis said while trying to hide how much she was not okay with the notion. “I understand that you have needs, but I don’t need another father! So just don’t go trying to make us get along! Also if you’re going to bring a man into this house I don’t want to see what you two get up to and I don’t want to hear it either!” Artemis ranted.

“Artemis Neol would you listen to me for a moment, because I’m trying to tell you that-“ Callista was interrupted for the third time, however this time it was not by her daughter, but instead it was by a knock coming from the front door. Hearing that sound caused Callista to freeze up almost completely, she was still, she was quiet, and she wasn’t even blinking anymore. She was like a statue.

“Is that him?” Artemis asked her frozen mother and when the woman only responded with a blink she scoffed and turned away. “Alright, I guess I will go set the record straight with this guy.” She said as she quickly stalked out of the kitchen and towards the front of the house.

It wasn’t until Artemis was half way to the door that Callista finally broke out of her trance and quickly rushed after her daughter. “Artemis wait, there is something you need to know before you meet her!”

It was too late. Artemis was already yanking open the door and had a few choice words on the tip of her tongue for the unlucky man waiting on the other side, but they died an ugly death when she saw a grown woman with dark hair on the other side. “A woman?” She thought to herself before her mind recalled what her mother had just said. ‘Meet her.’ “Wait does that mean mom has switched teams!” She pondered.

Artemis forced her eyes back onto the woman before her. She was quite attractive she supposed. She conceded that it would be better than having some guy she didn’t know hanging around the place. However, it was then that she noticed another person standing beside her and if it could be said that the first woman had halted her train of thought, this person had caused it to completely derail and crash into a children’s hospital.

She was frozen, just like her mother had been a moment ago Artemis couldn’t move, she couldn’t think. What she was seeing before her was impossible, but it was there. This had to be some kind of trick, an elaborate prank perhaps? Jasmine had been fairly keen on coming today, maybe she had set this up to get back at her for ditching her over the holiday. There was just no way this was real, right?

Artemis was jostled from her thoughts when the cause of her minor stroke began to speak. Her voice was shaky and laced with uncertainty. “Umm, hell-hello.” She gave a small wave. “I’m Pyrrha, ar-are you Artemis?” She asked. Artemis didn’t answer, she couldn’t, so Pyrrha turned towards her companion with a worried expression and the woman gave her a nod. Pyrrha took a deep breath and then declared. “I think we may be sisters!”

Artemis blinked. Then she blinked again. The girl was still there. She shook her head. The girl was still there gazing at her with her own face. Artemis could take it anymore. “Nope, you got the wrong house.” She finally declared before slamming the door closed.


End file.
